Conway: Expect staff changes in wake of McCain leak

Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway said Monday that she expects personnel changes in the White House in the wake of President Donald Trump’s latest outburst against leaks that have proved damaging to his administration.

The White House has dealt in recent days with fallout from a leaked remark from communications staffer Kelly Sadler, who responded to Sen. John McCain’s opposition to the confirmation of Gina Haspel to be CIA director by saying it “doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway.” McCain (R-Ariz.) has been away from the Senate for weeks as he receives treatment for brain cancer.

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Sadler reportedly called McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain, after the news of the comment surfaced but has yet to make a public apology. White House spokespeople have not denied that Sadler made the remark but have declined to comment on it other than to say it is being dealt with internally.

On Monday, Trump wrote online that “the so-called leaks coming out of the White House are a massive over exaggeration put out by the Fake News Media in order to make us look as bad as possible” but added that “leakers are traitors and cowards, and we will find out who they are!”

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Asked later Monday whether, in the wake of the president’s tweet, she expects personnel changes at the White House, Conway told Fox News that “I do, actually. Yes, I do.” She said she had spoken to the president about the subject of leaks earlier in the day.

“There are all kinds of leaks. Some leaks exist to hurt, I guess, colleagues, some leaks exist because they disagree with the policies that are being put forth, but none of them are helpful,” Conway said. “Something else that’s gone on in this White House but not as badly as it was at the beginning, where it’s not so much leaking as using the media to shiv each other, and that was going on quite a bit at the beginning of this administration and it’s less so now.”